ça sent bon
In French, 'it smells good' is said as ça sent bon.
The phrase ça sent bon is used to express that something has a pleasant scent. You can vary the intensity of the scent by using different adverbs: ça sent divinement bon (it smells heavenly), ça sent délicieusement bon (it smells deliciously good) or ça sent incroyablement bon (it smells incredibly good).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of ça (it/that), sent (smells/feels) and bon (good).
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, where 'smell' is a verb and 'good' is an adjective, in this French construction, bon functions as an adverbial adjective describing the manner of the scent.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can intensify the phrase by adding très before bon, resulting in ça sent très bon (it smells very good).
Did you know?
- In French, if you say je sens bon, it does not mean 'I smell a good scent', but rather 'I smell good' (I emit a pleasant scent).
- If you wanted to say 'it smells bad', you would not use 'mal' but rather ça sent mauvais, using the adjective for 'bad' instead.
- The word sent comes from the same root as the English word 'scent'. Both evolved from the Latin sentire, which means to feel or perceive.
Examples in context
- Ça sent bon !It smells good!This sentence shows how to express a simple exclamation that something smells good using ça sent bon.Tatoeba #10655 by sacredceltic, translation #66685 by CK
- Ça sent bon, pas vrai ?It smells good, doesn't it?This sentence uses ça sent bon in a tag question to confirm the scent with another person.Tatoeba #13060530 by lbdx, translation #9338031 by DJ_Saidez
- Qu'est-ce que tu fais à manger ? Ça sent bon.What are you cooking? It smells good.This sentence uses ça sent bon to respond to a question about cooking.Tatoeba #12461461 by lbdx, translation #7262261 by Hybrid
- Vous avez préparé un plat délicieux, ça sent bon !You have prepared a delicious dish, it smells good!
- Quand tu fais des crêpes, ça embaume la maison !When you make crepes, the whole house smells amazing!
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are in the kitchen while Chloé bakes.
- NathanMiam, ça sent bon ici !Yum, it smells good in here!
- ChloéMerci Nathan, je fais un gâteau.Thanks Nathan, I am making a cake.
- NathanÇa sent bon, le chocolat est parfait.It smells good, the chocolate is perfect.
- ChloéContente que ça te plaise !Glad you like it!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
